“What did you have to do with it? And why does Kristoff hate you so much?”
He sighed and finally let go of my hair. I straightened up but didn’t back away. He was speaking quietly, as if afraid someone might overhear us.
“I sided with Matthias. But there was never any doubt about whom I would choose. I chose him over my own sire and Kristoff resented that. Matthias owned my heart and what remained of my soul. Kristoff saw himself and his brother as two sides of the same coin, interchangeable, but there was a difference. Both could be cruel and unforgiving when they had to be, but—” He shook his head. “Matthias was different. Better, in my opinion, than his brother in many ways.”
There was something more than simple respect in his voice. “You and Matthias—were together?”
“We were. Although, I was much more”—he smiled wistfully—“
faithful
to him than he ever could be to me. It’s something one has to accept when involved with someone like him. His hungers must be satisfied, and jealousy doesn’t fit into that equation.”
Matthias had hinted that, while he preferred women, he hadn’t been all that sexually exclusive over the years. This was the proof. It surprised me, but not as much as I would have thought. “Was it a fight with Kristoff that made you lose your eyes?”
His smile faded. “No. Matthias caused this.”
I actually gasped out loud. “Matthias did this to you?”
He touched the edges of his ruined eyes. “Twenty years ago he heard a rumor that I was conspiring to have his brother released from the prison he’d created for him. It was a lie, but he wasn’t thinking straight, and sometimes rage makes a man do horrible things. He had his blood servants drag me outside as punishment. I couldn’t find shelter. A few minutes I could have healed from, but it was hours before he realized his mistake. By then it was too late.”
The thought of this made me feel physically ill. Matthias did this. He’d had Alex dragged outside knowing it would fry the eyes right out of his skull. “I—I’m so sorry.”
“Be careful with him, Jillian. He can be . . .” He hesitated. “
Passionate
to a fault. Be wary, especially since I know you’re bound to him now.”
I forced my nausea away at the picture of melting eyeballs and stupid, enraged vampires out of my head. “How do you know that?”
“The same informant who told me that you would be sent here to kill me tonight said that he’d claimed you to save your life, hoping to use your blood against Kristoff.”
“Your informant is full of useful information.”
The smile returned. “He is.”
“So you hate Matthias.”
“No. The contrary. I forgive mistakes, although I must admit it took me a long time. To help atone for this, Matthias bought me this nightclub so I could easily feed off the desire contained inside. It’s a nightly feast and I never have to worry about going hungry. In return, I’ve kept things with the Amarantos as quiet and controlled as possible. This hasn’t been accepted by all members. Some are still interested in the immortality ritual. I’m able to keep a lid on this, and any members who are out to make trouble are removed.”
I wasn’t sure if removed meant their membership was revoked, or if they were removed from being alive. I didn’t ask. “Sounds like you’re a good leader.”
“I’ve tried to be. I’ve seen what can happen when the wrong person has power, and that’s what I want to avoid at all costs.”
I nodded even though he wouldn’t be able to see it. “Fair enough.”
“If I let you leave here, Jillian, you must promise me something. Will you do that?”
I searched his face for deception, but saw nothing there. What disgust I’d originally felt toward him had faded into something more like admiration. This vampire wasn’t one of the bad ones—despite all evidence to the contrary. Over my shoulder I heard a sleepy groan as the occupants of the bed slowly woke. They weren’t dead. Just sleeping. The thought was a relief.
Maybe I could get Alex to give me his ring to prove he was dead. It would buy me enough time to get my nieces out of the house and back to my sister. Then I’d tell her to leave the city—get somewhere safe until all of this blew over. It made sense to me. It felt right.
“What do you want me to promise?” I asked.
“You must do everything you can to help Matthias defeat Kristoff.”
I drew in a breath. “I think you have me confused with somebody with power.”
He looked up in my general direction with his nonexistent eyes. “You’re not a victim, Jillian. I feel it. There is strength inside of you and courage as well. Your blood is just as powerful as they say it is. That is your true gift.”
“Death is not a gift.”
“Depends on how you look at it. Your blood is what makes you different from any other human. It makes you special. And it makes you very dangerous.”
“I don’t feel all that dangerous.”
“You are. Trust me, you are.” He sat there for a moment, his arms resting on the sides of the wheelchair. “You haven’t promised.”
“To help defeat Kristoff? I promise. I’ll do whatever I can.”
“Good.” He nodded. “Now, lastly. Can you give Matthias a message for me?”
That depended on where he was right now, but I couldn’t worry about the former vampire king. Not now. One thing at a time. “I’ll try.”
“Tell him that I forgive him and that I still have faith in everything he does.”
I frowned. “You should tell him that your—”
Alex reached forward, his fingers biting into my shoulders, and pulled me down on top of him. He swept my hair back and I felt his mouth press against my throat.
“No—don’t do this—” I pushed at him, not knowing what this was or where it came from. He’d been so still a moment ago and he’d just lashed out. Panic gripped me as I felt his fangs sharp against my skin only a moment before they cut into me. I shrieked, but it was the last noise I could make as his bite paralyzed me and I slumped forward against him.
I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, but I could hear him drinking my blood, a low groan escaping his throat. It hurt badly; because of my bond with Matthias he couldn’t influence me first to dampen the pain. I’d liked him. He’d convinced me he was one of the good guys—as much as a vampire could be, anyway. I couldn’t believe he’d just lost control. He’d handled my scent fine up until now.
“So good . . .” he murmured, his breath cool against my raw throat. He finally released me and slid his tongue over his bloody bottom lip. I immediately regained the use of my body and scrambled back from him, my hand at my throat to press against the fresh wound.
I shook my head, my eyes burning with tears. “Why did you do this?”
He raised his face up in the direction of mine. “Because it’s the only way.”
Then he convulsed and gritted his teeth together before fire consumed him. In seconds the only thing that remained of Alex was a fall of gray ash, snowing down over his wheelchair. The ring he’d worn dropped to the floor next to the chair.
I couldn’t move. I just stared at where he’d been seated only moments before. I was in shock. He’d killed himself. Suicide by Nightshade. And I didn’t think there were any Houdini-inspired tricks up his sleeve like Matthias had used.
Alex was gone. Three hundred years of existence snuffed out by a woman in a black dress with poisoned blood.
I realized I was crying and I pushed at my tears, more angry than sad. I didn’t wait around for long. I grabbed the ring, then turned and walked quickly across the room, coming a bit too close to the monster dhamp as I passed. It reached out toward me with its long arms, a sharp talon slicing shallowly into my upper arm. I jumped back from it and it looked at me with black, hungry eyes.
“Bloooddd,” it screeched. “Deeaatthh.”
A sob caught in my throat but I swallowed it down. “That’s right. My blood is death. Don’t forget it.”
I expected someone to stop me. After all, I’d just killed their blind, legless leader. I’d been sent as a gift from someone who wanted Alex dead. And even though it hadn’t gone remotely as I’d ever imagined it would, I’d done it.
Someone on the bed finally roused, lifting her head up off another’s bare thigh.
“What’s going on?” she asked groggily. “Where’s Alex?”
I looked at her, my vision too blurry to see more than her outline. “He’s gone.”
I pounded on the door when I found it was locked. A moment later it opened and I pushed through, walking blindly through the crowd who hadn’t stopped their hedonistic activities for a moment since I’d gone in. The world still rotated. The drinks still flowed. Everything was normal at the vampire sex club ironically called The Silver Cross. Only its owner was dead because I’d killed him.
I’d wanted him to be bloodthirsty, cruel, and horrible. What I’d got was Matthias’s ex-lover, a vampire who seemed to know right from wrong and had been through horrible pain in his life. He’d seen me as his chance to escape that pain once and for all and he’d taken it.
Suddenly, Noah was at my side. I hadn’t seen him approach, but my mind was on other things. He still looked monstrous with the signs of hunger showing on his face, but otherwise he was the same Noah he’d ever been.
“Well?” he asked.
“It’s done.” My throat felt thick and it was hard to swallow.
With a concerned look, he grabbed my hand as if to remove it from my throat to inspect my wound.
I shook my head. “No. I’m bleeding. You shouldn’t look at it right now.”
He grimaced. “Good point.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Fine with me.”
In my other hand I had Alex’s ring clutched so tightly it would likely leave an imprint behind. I’d killed him. And I was taking Kristoff the proof of just how deadly I was.
My unpleasant mission was a success.
And I knew Kristoff was going to kill me anyway.
THE HOUR-LONG DRIVE BACK TO THE HOUSE ONLY served to fuel my anger. By the time we got back I’d said good-bye to fear and was ready to confront Kristoff face-to-face, come what may.
He was waiting for me in his makeshift throne room. I marched right toward him, but faltered when I saw who he was with. My nieces, tired and rubbing at their eyes, sat cross-legged on the floor. Since it was well after midnight, I wasn’t surprised that they looked so weary.
“Welcome back,” Kristoff said.
That fear I’d misplaced on the drive here came back in spades. I wondered if Kristoff had predicted my mood and wanted to remind me of what was at stake. If so, he’d succeeded amazingly well.
“Aunt Jill?” Meg, my eight-year-old niece, looked up at me with a frown. “You look really different.”
“Yeah?” I twisted a finger into my hair and tried to ignore the hammering of my heart. “Different good or different bad?”
“I don’t know.” She looked at her sister. They were both blond and blue-eyed like their mom. Like the old me. “Just different. What are you doing here?”
“Your aunt is a friend of mine,” Kristoff said. “She’s visiting and she wanted to say hi.”
“Hi,” six-year-old Julie said. She clutched a pink teddy bear to her chest. “We watched movies all night. Past bedtime.”
I forced a smile onto my face. “Sounds like fun.”
“It was. We’re supposed to wait here for mommy to come get us.”
I looked at Kristoff who nodded. “She asked me to look after the girls, keep them safe. How could I say no?”
My face felt tight. “You’re so generous.”
Kristoff smiled. “Okay, kids. It’s well past time for bed now. Have a good sleep.”
Meg and Julie got up from where they were seated and came toward me to give me a hug. I held on to each of them tightly before reluctantly letting them go.
I looked into their faces, each in turn. “You’re going home soon. Promise.”
Meg shrugged. “Okay.”
If nothing else, their ignorance about where they were and who held them was a relief. I wasn’t going to disturb that for anything.
The girl I’d seen earlier holding Sara was waiting at the entrance to the room and the children went toward her. She must be some sort of vampire nanny Kristoff had on staff. The thought wasn’t comforting. I tensed, but didn’t make a move to stop them from leaving.
“I just love children,” Kristoff said. “They fill my heart with joy.”
I turned to glare at him. “I swear, if you hurt them—”
“Why would I hurt them?” His gaze moved to my hand. “You have Alex’s ring. I’ll assume everything went according to plan.”
“He’s dead.”
“That was the plan. Maybe you’re more useful than I thought you’d be.” He held out his hand and I drew close enough to give him the ring. He studied it for a moment. “What did he have to say?”
“Not much.”
He slipped the ring on his index finger. “I find that hard to believe. If there was one thing I could depend on from Alex, it was that he loved to talk. Too much for his own good sometimes.”